New designation for a growing Sly Fox Brewing Company

Staff photo by Bob Carville
Distributing to six states and the District of Columbia, Sly Fox Brewing Co.’s production has exceeded the definition of microbrewery and is now designated a regional craft brewery.

Courtesy photo
According to the Brewers Association, breweries that produce less than 15,000 barrels a year are designated as microbreweries while regional craft breweries are those that produce between 15,000 and 6,000,000 barrels annually.

Sly Fox Brewing Co., which started as a local brewpub in Chester County and now distributes to six states and the District of Columbia, has exceeded the definition of microbrewery and is now designated a regional craft brewery.

Breweries that produce less than 15,000 barrels a year are designated as microbreweries, while regional craft breweries produce 15,000 to 6,000,000 barrels annually, according to the Brewers Association. One barrel of beer equals 31 gallons.

“We packaged our 15,000th barrel sometime around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, when the first cases of Helles Golden Lager spun through the canning line that morning,” Sly Fox director of brewing operations Tim Ohst said in a news release. “I’m surprised no one noticed tectonic movement when we shifted from micro to regional at that exact moment.”

The Brewer’s Association reported 1,221 microbreweries and 97 regional craft breweries were operating in the United States as of June 2013. While the number of microbreweries more than doubled in the last two years, the regional craft category only added 26 breweries since 2010.

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“Our growth has been steady,” said Brewmaster Brian O’Reilly. “It’s the result of a loyal customer base that has expanded organically as more and more people try Sly Fox beers.”

Well regarded for authentic representations of classic styles, Sly Fox cans 10 different craft beers with plans to release additional varieties in 2014. The 18-year-old brewery also packages in 750 milliliter corked bottles.

“We should make it to 16,000 on Dec. 30 or 31, depending on how much holiday partying happens,” said Ohst. “Even without the ground-breaking regional brewery designation to celebrate, year-end festivities have a way of affecting production.”

Sly Fox also host several big events, including an annual Bock Festival in May with oompah bands, German cuisine and goat races draws as many as 5,000 attendees while its Can Jam Music Festival, a free concert and lawn game tournament at the brewery in September, continues to grow.